On July 23, 1921, the first National Congress of the CPC was held secretly in Shanghai. The meeting was forced to be suspended due to being harassed by French Concession patrols. According to the suggestion of Shanghai representative Li Da's wife Wang Huiwu, the meeting was transferred to a cruise ship on the South Lake of Jiaxing to continue. The "First Congress" South Lake Conference deliberated and passed the first program and resolution of the CPC, solemnly announcing the birth of the CPC.

In order to commemorate the historic event of the successful closure of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China on a cruise ship in Nanhu, under the guidance of the Central and Provincial Party Committees, a replica of the cruise ship that was held during the First National Congress was used as a commemorative ship for the conference in 1959, anchored on the water surface in front of the Yanyu Tower for people to admire. This commemorative ship is called the "South Lake Red Boat".

From Shikumen in Shanghai to Nanhu in Jiaxing, a small red boat carries the heavy trust of the people and the hope of the nation, crossing rapids and treacherous waves, becoming a towering ship that guides China's steady and far-reaching journey.